Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court on Wednesday reserved its judgement on a petition of former Uttar Pradesh minister Nasimuddin Siddiqui, challenging state Lokayukta's direction to UP government to "reconsider" probing allegations that the BSP leader and his wife owned assets disproportionate to their known sources of income.

A division bench comprising acting Chief Justice Amitava Lala and Justice PKS Baghel reserved the order after hearing arguments of advocate Shashi Nandan, who appeared on behalf of the petitioner, and the state's Chief Standing Counsel Yashwant Verma.

The Lokayukta order was passed on March 15 this year, barely a month after Akhilesh Yadav's predecessor Mayawati had turned down the Lokayukta's recommendation for a probe by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate against her cabinet colleague.

Mayawati had claimed that the allegations against Siddiqui had "to do with him as a person and not as a minister and hence he could not prosecuted under Section 12(4) of the Lokayukta Act that covers corruption charges against a civil servant".

Siddiqui, who has filed the petition jointly with his wife Husna, has argued that once the recommendations of the Lokayukta were turned down by the then chief minister, the ombudsman had no power to send it for reconsideration upon a change of guard in the state.